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Intolerance of journalists continues to increase in Turkey
SARYA TUNC introduces the goodbye letter of persecuted journalist Ayse Duzkan as she prepares to start her prison sentence
A third of all jailed journalists in the world are imprisoned in Turkey as part of President Erdogan’s crackdown on opposition parties and dissent [Mahmut Bozarslan/Creative Commons]

AROUND 180 journalists are currently in jail, a third of the world’s total, many on trumped-up terrorism charges. Five more journalists were handed jail terms totalling nine years and nine months last week as an appeal court confirmed the sentences in the Ozgur Gundem (Free Agenda) case.

In May 2016 the editor-in chief campaign was initiated, where journalists and writers would become the editor of the paper for a day as an act of solidarity against the pressure and investigations against Ozgur Gundem’s staff, and to defend freedom of the press.

At least 50 of the 56 who acted as editor-in-chief of Ozgur Gundem during the campaign, which lasted for around three months, were investigated, with 16 of them appearing in court.

The Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TIHV) president Sebnem Korur Fincanci, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) representative in Turkey Erol Onderoglu and Journalist Ahmet Nesin were arrested and jailed during the campaign.

 
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